Sleep often comes up when someone is trying to understand how a head injury is affecting daily life, and it is one of the easiest details to forget by the time an appointment arrives. If you have felt dazed since a bump to the head, the hours you spent in bed and how well you slept can help you describe what has been happening. This is a plain log for your own use. It does not measure anything medical, and it cannot tell you what is wrong.
Bring the log to your visit, whether you go to a primary care office, an urgent care center, or an emergency department. If you have new confusion, repeated vomiting, a severe headache, weakness, or trouble waking someone, do not wait to write anything down. Seek emergency care right away.
What to record each morning
Keep a notebook or a note on your phone, and fill in a few lines when you wake up. Write the date, the time you went to bed, the approximate time you woke, and whether you woke during the night. Then describe how you feel using a simple scale of your own, such as 'clear,' 'foggy,' or 'heavy.' Use the same words each day so the pattern is easy to read later.
Add a line about the first hour after waking. Did the morning feel slow? Did you lose your place in a sentence you were reading? Did light or noise seem harder to handle than usual? Short phrases are enough. A record that you can finish in under a minute is more likely to last through a full week.
Naps and the afternoon
Naps deserve their own line. Write down when you napped, how long you slept, and whether you felt better or worse afterward. If you find yourself sleeping more during the day than you normally do, say so plainly. The goal is an honest record, not a perfect one, and a nap you forgot to log is still worth mentioning at your visit.
Note your evenings too. Did you have trouble falling asleep? Did a late meal, a screen, or a worried mind keep you up? Did you wake with a headache or feel unsteady when you got out of bed? These details help show whether the question is how much you sleep, how well you sleep, or when your rest falls during the day.
Reading your own log
After about a week, look back over the entries. You are looking for simple patterns: days with longer sleep and clearer mornings, nights when you woke often, or afternoons when the fog returned. Circle the entries that stand out. Avoid trying to explain them yourself or comparing them with advice you read elsewhere. Put the log in front of the person examining you and let them help interpret it.
Cost can make people put off a visit, and that is worth addressing before you go. STAT published a piece today on health care affordability as a major issue for voters, along with a new kind of clinic that can leave some patients with large bills. Before you book, ask the front desk what the visit will cost, whether the clinic is in your plan's network, and what is included. Writing those questions on the same page as your sleep log keeps everything in one place.
If you live in the St. Louis metro and have felt dazed for several days, an appointment this week is a reasonable next step. A clear log of your sleep, mornings, and naps will not replace an exam, but it can make the time you spend with a clinician more useful for both of you.